Tuesday, October 30, 2012

It has been a wild weather week.
As a country dweller, I likely have a few different concerns on a blustery night that saw Hurricane Sandy's remnants enter our area.
Will the hydro go out? If it does my sump pump in the basement won't work and I'll be bailing water all night.
Are all my hoop houses going to have plastic on them come morning?
Are my boats going to float away with the rising Welland River?
I was relieved to get up this morning after a restless sleep to find that most things were just fine. Not sure about the boats though..but I think the oars are gone!

Last Thursday I wore my shorts out in the garden while harvesting. All has changed now though and the last few days it has been full gear. Rain suit, coveralls underneath, rubber boots and whatever I can figure out for my hands to keep them warm and dry.
When I heard all about all the rain that was coming, my thoughts turned to carrots. I mean, didn't yours?
My carrots did really well this year with my super-duper special technique of planting carrots in clay.
But with sitting in a low spot and all, the huge amount of rainfall would mean they would be sitting in water.
That would only result in one thing....rotten carrots.

The last few days has been digging carrots in lousy conditions. Boot-grabbing mud, wind whipping, heavy rain and chilly conditions. These carrots were fought for and the battle won. The carrots are in and safe.
Good too.

Today's baskets had a good few roots in them.
The carrots of course, plus bright red turnips and oriental radishes that were either white or purple.
The turnips can be eaten either raw or cooked, as can the radishes. If you can't get to the radishes right away, don't worry. They last a long, long time.

There were also beets and somebody got the VERY large ones pictured above. Wow.
There are still peppers too which were included as well as chard, rosemary, thyme, leaf celery, parsley, broccoli or cabbage.

After working out in this weather my mind turns to soup. And with carrots being so bountiful, carrot soup is a great place to start. I usually just add what I like, using the following recipe as a bit of a guide.
Last night I sauteed onions and hot peppers before adding the carrots and water. I left out the curry and it was yummy.
Enjoy!
(This recipe is from www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com)

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

My friend Tiffany picks fruit that would otherwise be wasted and donates it to worthwhile and helpful organizations.

Joey is pleased no doubt that Tiffany is fond of him as well. Today I picked up some donated pears for Joey which he thoroughly enjoyed for his dinner.

Todays's CSA baskets mark my 33rd week in a row of doing baskets on Tuesdays. My immense gratitude to all who have taken part, and especially those folks who have been along for the entire time.

If you aren't in my CSA I am often able to do extra baskets and bring them into town as I did today, so please get in touch if you feel you might be interested.

There are 12 weeks to go in this session and lots of food in the garden still, with the greenhouses growing nicely too.

The baskets today were pretty full.

They included onions, squash, carrots, peppers (both hot and sweet), and green tomatoes.

Also radishes. The ones pictured below are Watermelon Radishes and are gorgeous when cut open.

The herbs I added today were parsley, leaf celery and oregano.

Then came a good helping of greens such as chards, kales, or mustard greens.

On the top a bag of lettuces and I'm sure the baskets contained something else too!

I used the following recipe as a guide, but made a few substitutions based on what I had on hand. And what I had on hand you will also find in you baskets.

This recipe is from Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian", a wonderful cookbook. I've noted my substitutions in brackets.

Enjoy!

Spicy Autumn Vegetable Burger

Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Time: 30 minutes with cooked beans and kale

Here's a burger flecked with bits of green and orange vegetables, with both creamy and chewy textures. It's also a handy way to use leftover greens like kale, chard, cabbage, or spinach. If you don't have any handy, just cook and shock them according to the directions on page 241 of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. It will add only a few minutes to the recipe. Serve these on a crusty roll with barbecue sauce or your favorite condiment.

1. Squeeze all the water out of the kale and finely chop it. Put the cannellini beans in a large bowl and mash them roughly. Stir in the greens with a fork.

2. Put 2 tablespoons of the oil or butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot or the butter is melted, add the sweet potato and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to soften and color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs and remaining spices and cook and stir for another minute or so.

3. Stir the sweet potato mixture into the bean mixture with a fork, mixing until well blended. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes if you can before shaping it into patties. If it seems too wet, stir in a little flour to help bind it. Taste and adjust the seasoning. (You can make the burger mixture up to several hours in advance. Just cover tightly and refrigerate, then bring everything back to room temperature before cooking.) Wipe out the skillet.

4. Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties. Put 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter or oil in the skillet and turn the heat to medium. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, carefully slide the burgers into the pan. Cook until nicely browned on one side, about 5 minutes; turn carefully and cook on the other side until firm and browned, adding the remaining butter or oil if necessary.

5. Serve on plates with your favorite accompaniments or on buns with the usual burger fixings. Or cool and refrigerate or freeze for later use.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Yesterday I posted some pictures of cool veggies I'm growing this year.Here they are identified.By a hair, the winner is "Blue laced redhead".Thanks to both of you for commenting...you know your veggies!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Okay.
The 30 days straight of blog posts is so not happening anymore.
Life beyond the computer took over this weekend.
After a great deal of agonizing I bought a car to replace my old and failing Honda. That took time.
Then family came and family needed my time. And I needed my time with them.
So the garden...and the blog sat this one out.

Just to see if anyone is still out there, let's play identify that vegetable!

You win nothing. But you are a winner! And who doesn't like that title?
If you are the only one to actually comment, then you are automatically the winner whether you get any right at all. How sweet is that?

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Well, I'm not sure what to call this post. Day 18 or Day 19.
I missed yesterday and was hoping Jo would read my mind and there would be a post waiting in my email inbox.
It was not to be.
I'd love to share these pictures that my good friend Iz took when she visited me last year at this time.
It makes me happy just to see them again.
Hope you come visit soon Iz.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Well, there will be no pictures of today's baskets.
My camera has officially bit the dust and I'm waiting for delivery of the new one.
Ah, my high tech life!

So I'll just pop in pictures you maybe haven't seen!

Chickens get the not so great greens from CSA days

Realistically I am about as low tech as a person can be these days.
I have a cell phone, but it is never on. I had it for a few months before I figured out how to answer it.
Texting? Not my specialty.
Amazing really that I'm able to write a blog.

My low tech abilities fit very well with my career of choice. I sometimes feel like I was born in the wrong era. My work is very labour intensive with my hands dirty and my back always bending to pull weeds, plant or harvest.

Today my hands were cold when I rinsed off the veggies for the CSA baskets outside. I don't do well in the cold, particularly my fingers and toes and I've always found harvesting and cleaning veggies tough at this time of year and into the winter. I had to go in the house to soak my hands in warm water before I could finish up!
And THIS is just the beginning! It's not actually even cold yet.

Baskets today contained beets, carrots, french breakfast radishes, lettuce, braising greens, leaf celery, sweet and hot peppers, and a tomato or two. This is most definitely the end of the tomatoes for 2012, as last Friday night's frost was a killer. That's okay too, because they just don't taste nearly as good once the cold nights hit.

Adios for another year my friends!

The following recipe is one of my favourite ways to serve carrots...and tofu. It is so simple and yummy it has become a staple in my house.
This recipe is from The Vegetarian Times cookbook.
Enjoy!

Monday, October 15, 2012

When the wonderful Harrowsmith Country Life Magazine was still being published, some of my veggies and tomatoes scooted as fast as possible to Montreal for photo shoots. Pretty cool, eh?
I sure thought so.

Today I got some pretty veggies ready for a shoot at Niagara College.
These pictures will show the process from kitchen to dining room.

Can't wait to see the pictures.
Bet they are better than these. I think the veggies are pretty anyways though.
(And...by the way I have a new camera on order!)

About Me

I have a BSW degree, and worked as a social worker for quite a few years, before getting out (with most of my sanity intact) to farm.I grew up on a farm and this is what i was meant to do. I have two wonderful daughters, as well as 3 dogs, 6 cats, a pig named Joey, chickens, ducks and a bunny. All are family.